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By júlia verdaguer, on maig 7th, 2013 The school FEDAC Sant Feliu, in St. Feliu de Codines, is hosting a Conversation Assistant for the first time this year. Her name is Rachel, she comes from the UK and feels very welcome in Sant Feliu. She works with pupils from P3 to 1st of ESO and all of them really enjoy their time with her. Thank you for sharing your experience with us!
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Hello!
I’m Rachel, I’m 21 years old and I currently live in Sant Feliu de Codines. I originally live in Leeds in the north of England, but for the last 6 months I have been calling this small town outside Barcelona, home. I arrived in Barcelona with no expectations of what would happen next. I had only been on holiday to the Spanish islands before, and so to come and live here, knowing no Spanish or Catalan was a big step! But the choice I made couldn’t have been better. I work in a small school called FEDAC – Sant Feliu de Codines.
I have always wanted to work with children since the age of 14, and after completing a degree in psychology and having a particular interest in educational psychology, I decided to take the plunge and apply for the job here. After graduating I wanted to get experience working in a school, and I always had an interest in working abroad and indulging myself in another culture. But even after the culture difference I couldn’t be any happier here!
As soon as you arrive in this city, there is a constant welcoming feeling from everyone around you. The people in my town are very traditional and nothing is ever too much effort. I am now 6 months into my experience and it is still the same as day one. The people here always want to help, and for this reason I don’t think that people who come in future should worry about the differences, even when you have bad days or you miss home, the people always know how to make you happy and smile again.
The school I work at is called ‘Immaculat cor de Maria’, and it is very small but the feeling is like a little family! When I first arrived the children were very friendly and they were always shouting my name and asking questions! But even 6 months on this is still the same, and they are as intrigued with me and my culture as I am about them and theirs. They have certainly made me feel very welcome here. My job at the school is to assist with English and conversation. Every day I take out 4 or 5 children from the classes, for around 15 minutes at a time. I do activities to practice English through verbs, nouns, adjectives, prepositions, grammar and more, but I also like to focus on pronunciation. My typical day includes working with all ages of children and I work with P-3 to the 1st ESO. In the P-3 class I work in the classroom and practice small vocabulary such as colours and weather. In all the other classes I take the children out and do a small activity, with P-4 and P-5 it is usually flash cards telling stories and practicing. From 1n to the 4t primary school, I work on activities such as worksheets regarding the unit, which might include word searches, stories, pictures, games and activities. With the older children the level is much more advanced, and I hold competitions between to make them more motivated and they all love being competitive! I like to keep them motivated and I want to make them enjoy English! I do powerpoints or board games and ask them to explain in English the rules of the game. I also do reading comprehension and much more with this age range. I plan most of my classes around the units that they study in the class, this is so that I can reinforce the curricular and hopefully help them learn better and help understand English more. Teachers have told me that the children go back into the class or go home and talk about what they have done, all in a positive way! So this is a good outcome of my classes!
The family I live with couldn’t be any better, I stay with the director of primary school and her family. They are my second family now and mean a lot to me. Everything they have done and how welcoming they are couldn’t be any better. I have been made to feel like their daughter and I can see how I have improved their English, but also they have taught me some Spanish and of course a little Catalan! But that is the culture here, to make you feel so welcome and like you are at home.
Overall my experience of CAPs is very positive, I love the school, my family, the teachers and the students. I am very happy and I am looking forward to the rest of my time here. Especially when the sun gets hot!
By júlia verdaguer, on maig 2nd, 2013 Escola Santa Teresa de Jesús in Vilanova i la Geltrú joined the PAC three years ago. This year they are hosting Martin, from the UK, who works with students of Primary, ESO and CF! Thanks for sharing your experience with all of us.
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My experience at Santa Teresa de Jesús has been fantastic, the time I have spent here as an Auxiliar de Conversa (Conversational Assistant) has been enjoyable and a great learning experience. The teachers are very friendly, accommodating and patient. If you have a positive, creative and enthused attitude toward teaching, you will love it here; the more you give, the more you get back.
I was lucky enough to teach a wide range of levels: Primary, Secondary and Vocational (Professional: Administration and Commerce). Usually I taught groups of 5 – 7 in my own classroom from each year group, I also assisted in others classrooms when necessary.
Through negotiation I was able to create and expand on my own material and methods, this was an incredible opportunity to test my own teaching skills and methodology as well as informing and improving my ability to adapt and alter my teaching strategies to suit a variety of levels and needs.
Vilanova i la Geltrú is a wonderful place with the amenities of a big city but the community of a close-knit village. It’s situated between Barcelona and Tarragona and it’s a good place in terms of travelling around Catalonia (by train, bus, car).
Almost everything is within walking distance in Vilanova and there are plenty of interesting and quirky cafes and bars to explore to your hearts content. Vilanova is also well known for its celebrations: Carnivals, Festivals and Fiestas; it’s an amazing place to be.
By júlia verdaguer, on abril 26th, 2013 Què cal per acollir un Auxiliar? Com ens hi entendrem? Com serà la vida de cada dia (menjar, roba, dormir, transport…)? I els caps de setmana? L’hem d’acompanyar a tot arreu? I a l’escola, què ha de fer el tutor de l’Auxiliar? Què pot fer un auxiliar? Com hem d’organitzar la seva estada? Com podem facilitar la seva integració? Quin suport tenim de l’organització?
 Aquestes són algunes de les preguntes més freqüents que es fan les escoles i les famílies acollidores sobre el Programa Auxiliars de Conversa. Per tal de resoldre aquests i altres dubtes, des de l’organització del PAC hem convocat quatre sessions informatives obertes a tothom: famílies acollidores, famílies interessades, direccions i mestres d’escola, etc. En aquestes reunions parlarem de què suposa acollir un auxiliar de conversa a casa, com podem facilitar la seva integració a la família i al nostre país i donarem algunes pautes i recursos sobre com facilitar l’adaptació de l’Auxiliar de Conversa a l’escola i a les seves tasques i treure el màxim profit de la seva estada. També donarem, és clar, resposta a totes les preguntes que pugueu plantejar-nos.
Les sessions informatives programades són les següents:
Tarragona
Dimecres 8 de maig | 17:30h
Escola Vedruna-Sagrat Cor
Santa Joaquima Vedruna, 10 |
Girona
Dilluns 13 de maig | 17:30h
Escola Maristes Girona
Josep Tarradellas, 5-7 |
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Barcelona
Dimecres 15 de maig | 18:00h
Escola Pia Balmes
Balmes, 208 |
Lleida
Dilluns 27 de maig | 17:30h
Escola Lestonnac-L’Ensenyança
Prat de la Riba, 38 |
Podeu descarregar-vos un model de circular i un cartell per a promocionar les sessions en els següents enllaços:
> Model circular PDF
> Model circular word
> Cartell PDF
> Cartell word
Us animem a fer-ne difusió entre les famílies de les vostres escoles, i també us animem a venir a les sessions informatives, tant les escoles que voleu participar per primera vegada al PAC com les que ja heu tingut Auxiliars de Conversa els darrers anys.
Les sessions tenen caràcter informatiu. Per tant, l’assistència no implica cap compromís d’acollida posterior d’un Auxiliar de Conversa. Per facilitar la nostra organització, us preguem que confirmeu la vostra assistència al correu pac@escolacristiana.org, indicant a quina de les sessions assistireu i quantes persones vindreu.
Recordeu-vos també de consultar les novetats del Programa per al curs 2013-14!
By júlia verdaguer, on abril 22nd, 2013  Novetats del Programa Auxiliars de Conversa per al curs 2013-14
1. Aquest curs oferim la possibilitat de demanar auxiliars de conversa de llengua anglesa i també de llengua francesa.
2. Els Auxiliars de Conversa són nois i noies que s’inscriuen voluntàriament en aquest programa després de conèixer les condicions en què es desenvolupa, que se’ls expliquen en el seu país d’origen. Saben que no vénen de vacances ni tampoc a treballar, i per això reben una beca mensual, ja que el seu allotjament i manutenció estan coberts per les famílies acollidores i les escoles.
Amb la voluntat de millora de les condicions d’estada dels Auxiliars, aquesta assignació (que no ha de ser entesa com un sou), enguany serà de 200 euros mensuals.
Aquest increment de 50 euros s’ha repartit incrementant la quota de les escoles en 25 euros mensuals i assumint l’organització els altres 25 euros. La quota del PAC queda, doncs, en 475 euros mensuals d’octubre a juny.
Ja teniu a la vostra disposició els fulls de sol·licitud d’Auxiliars de Conversa per al curs 2013-2014. Per sol·licitar un Auxiliar, heu de fer arribar el full emplenat, signat i segellat amb el segell de l’escola a pac@escolacristiana.org o per fax al 93 342 65 46.
Si teniu cap pregunta o consulta, no dubteu a contactar-nos a pac@escolacristiana.org o al 93 302 70 13.
By júlia verdaguer, on abril 16th, 2013 Col·legi Claver has been in the PAC for three years. They are currently hosting two conversation assistants: Laura and Douglas. Today we are sharing Laura’s experience. Don’t miss Douglas’ text (and video!) in a few days! Thanks Laura and Blanca, her tutor, for sharing this with all of us!
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Time Flies When You’re Having Fun
It was one of my grandmother’s most frequently said clichés that time goes quicker with each year. Having reached the halfway point of my year as a Conversation Assistant at Claver, I think it is also one of the truest. It seems impossible that I have spent 5 months here already and even more impossible that I have only have 4 left.
Having just changed my host family, now seems an excellent halfway point to reflect on my experiences here thus far. I absolutely adored living with my first family, even though living with children was something entirely new to me! They were nothing short of fantastic and completely included me as part of their family, for which I am very grateful. Having only been with my second host family for two weeks I am happy to report I am finding them, whilst very different as a family, equally warm, hospitable and inclusive. The families have provided me with a vital support network for working and living away from home in a different country and culture.
 Working at Claver is different every day. This is inevitable when working with children, but my job here in general guarantees an exciting and often unpredictable experience. I work with P5, 1st, 2nd, 5th and 6th of Primary which provides a wide spectrum of pupils and personalities! With the younger students (P5, 1st and 2nd) I am usually in the classroom with the teacher, helping the children with their English vocabulary, spelling and pronunciation. Sometimes I take several students at a time outside of the classroom, either to help them if they are struggling or to give them more challenging tasks in the case of the most able. Given my extremely limited Catalan/Spanish language skills this can be a real challenge, but results in an impressive effort to speak in more fluent English by the students.
 With my 5th and 6th level English classes I lead small groups (of around 4-7 pupils) outside of the main classroom. I am endlessly impressed by the effort and enthusiasm that the children display. Their English ability is much more advanced than I expected it would be when I arrived. A result, I’m sure, of Claver’s policy of immersion in language-learning from a young age. I also assist in the delivery of Science and Physical Education, both of which are taught in English. The fact that pupils are able to take their science exams in English astounds me. I barely understood my science lessons at school, I don’t know how I would have coped if it had been taught in another language! Schools in the UK could definitely benefit from taking a similar approach to foreign languages.
The classes I initially struggled most with were the other subjects taught in English. I had no idea how to use English to teach sports! After a few initial trials and errors, I have settled in and the children are fantastically enthusiastic and responsive. It is in these lessons especially that I’ve noticed how eager the students are to help each other and, despite the inevitable occasional crossed wires, everyone figures out what needs to be done and gets on with it.
I cannot really sum up my feelings on working at Claver and living in Lleida without repeating myself. The school environment is such a welcoming and inclusive one and really serves its students well. This is one of the best opportunities that I have been given and I am so glad I took it. I feel as though I am learning as much as my students are through my experiences here. Though, admittedly, not much Catalan or Spanish!
By júlia verdaguer, on abril 12th, 2013 Col·legi Mare Janer is a school located in Santa Coloma, Andorra. It is their first year in the PAC, and Sam, their conversation assistant, is the first PAC in the Principality. We thank Sam and his tutor Esther for sharing their experience and these great photos!
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 I am currently working in the principality of Andorra, the first Conversation Assistant to do so with CAPS. Adapting to such an unusual environment, with Andorra being its own minute country, has been a mixture of peaks and troughs. The mountains and its lack of a cosmopolitan attitude can be overbearing. However one factor of the experience that has been a constant peak is the school, the students, its staff and of course the families. Collectively they have made my time here a pleasure, with their support and enthusiasm in all that I do.
 I teach both Primary and Secondary levels, with the ages ranging from 7-16. I enjoy aspects of both levels, but the diligence and enthusiasm of the children is perhaps the most humbling. I try to expose the kids to as much material as possible be it English Youth Culture, Music, Literature, T.V or Film. I am currently organising an ´America Workshop´ for the Secondary students. An auxiliary from the Fulbright Program will hopefully present a day of lessons around the United States. This will show to the students the acute differences between the English spoken in the U.K and the English spoken in the U.S.
 Having worked as a College Lecturer I was at least familiar already with the classroom environment. However, education is very different culturally here from what I am used to back home in the U.K. I find that students are not encouraged enough to actively engage in language lessons. So I try to incorporate as much role play, performance and practical speaking exercises in my lesson plans as possible. I feel that enticing students out of their comfort zones helps them with confidence, a very important trait needed when learning a second language. I feel that since October the student’s attitude towards English has radically changed and that hopefully this will continue after I leave.
By júlia verdaguer, on abril 9th, 2013 Nostra Senyora de Montserrat is a school located in Olesa de Montserrat. It is their first year in the Conversation Assistants Program, and they are hosting Clark, who comes from Canada. Here are his thoughts on the program! (Click here if you want to see the original PDF they kindly sent).
CAPS Experience Thus Far
 It has been four and a half months since my arrival to Olesa de Montserrat, and the experience is turning out to be a great use of my time and energies. A Catalonian landscape to take your breath away, the most part of my lunch breaks begin with a run up the mountains, across the forest, and through the orchards. Raised on the prairies, I am extremely appreciative of this environment. The centuries old town is also foreign to my roots and intriguing.
 Of the 331 odd students in my school, I enjoy the challenge of memorizing names and juggling the teaching approaches appropriate for each age group. Interacting with the children from P-3 all the way to ESO 4 also gives me a sense of familiarity with the community as a whole. The encouragement of a student shouting a greeting to me on the street is priceless. This school year here is an incredible immersion of vitality and significance.
 With a range in students from 3-16 years of age I am having some widely varied experiences! With the 3, 4, and 5 year-olds there is loud rejoicing accompanying my guitar every time I relive the glory days of Old Macdonald, Singing in the Rain, many other classics, and some new ones, too. With children 6 years-old and up I instruct the classes, normally in thirds, on content related to their subject of study. When the unbridled and intense enthusiasm of youth is harnessed I delight in the endless possibilities.
 An appreciated part of work with ESO is the developed vocabulary and conversation skills held by these adolescents. With a hunger to communicate, they are a generous stockpile of ideas. It seems that a twenty year-old Anglophone who understands very little Catalan or Spanish is a great learning incentive. Although they may be older and appear less impressionable than in earlier years, I deny the thought that they are too far gone to discover great new levels of conversing and understanding in English.
 Certainly, it is a pride and a privilege to witness a youth discover a new frontier and then surpass it. Never before has this school had an English speaker here as I am, as a result nobody is left out of the excitement. During this dynamic work in progress all the teachers are being gracious and imaginative. May the next half of the program be no less challenging and no less full of growth!
By júlia verdaguer, on abril 3rd, 2013 La Salle Mollerussa has joined the PAC this year. Their conversation assistant, Ross, works with ESO, Batxillerat and CF students. It seems like everyone is enjoying Ross’s stay with them, including Ross himself, which is fantastic. Thanks a lot for writing 🙂
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I was waiting with fellow conversation assistants for our hosts to arrive. As other people were leaving I was becoming increasingly nervous. It was very strange to think that the next year of my life was in the hands of people I had never met, when my name was called and I made my way outside I saw the kindly faces of Nuria, my first host, and Elisabet, my mentor in the school. I relaxed, and was able to start enjoying the experience.
My first trimester with Nuria was a great way to start. She is of a similar age and we got on very well. We were busy on weekends visiting her friends around Catalonia, and though it was exhausting as the first 3 months teaching are particularly tiring I have made, I hope, a good friend in her. I am now with my second family, who have a child in the school, and this offers a different, yet equally enjoyable experience. The food is fantastic (though I never eat enough to satisfy Carmen, the mother), and I have experienced a different Catalonia through living with this family.
My school has been an interesting experience. Before I left, I considered myself rather quiet, and therefore the idea of speaking to a class of children was rather intimidating. The children, however, are kind and enthusiastic so that you quickly overcome your nerves and feel increasingly confident with each successful class you give. Of course, there are some disastrous lessons where things just don’t go well, but it is just a matter of learning what works and doesn’t work; getting to know what the students respond best to.
I work with all students; those from ESO 1 to 4 (year 7-11), Bat 1 and 2 (year 12-13) and some Adult education classes. Each class is different, and the school have given me the flexibility to do as I wish, but they have also given the support if I ever needed help. I tend not use text books, as my lessons usually consist of simple conversation, debates, listening to me speak about something, reading aloud selected texts, writing, using scripts from comedies or songs to practise pronunciation etc. I also teach history to two years, and this has been good way to scratch up on my own history.
Overall, I have been very happy in La Salle Mollerussa, and in Mollerussa. All the teachers have been welcoming, and they have made sure I have been kept busy socially. I constantly meet lovely people in my daily life. My Catalan is progressing slowly, and I would like to stay in Catalonia longer if I can. I recommend the experience to all.
By júlia verdaguer, on març 25th, 2013 Bazilio comes from the UK and has spent the last 6 months as a Conversation Assistant in escola FEDAC Santa Coloma. He has had to finish the Programme early, but the school want to share their good experience with us, so here’s what Bazilio wrote and some beautiful photos that English teachers Verónica and Eduardo sent along with the text. Thanks a lot!
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How can I explain my time here? In a few words it is impossible to explain, but I can try and give you an idea of my experience.
7:00am my alarm goes off. I put it on snooze…..for 30mins. 7:30am! haha ok I need to get up now. If I’m not training for a cross country race or making pancakes for Pancake Day I don’t wake up until about 7:30. A ‘Good morning’. And I get ready.
8:00am I have breakfast, sometimes with Pau, if I can wake up early enough! My breakfast? usually something light. Then I brush my teeth and at 8:45 I get the go ahead that ‘it’s time’ or ‘it’s time to put your things away’ from Pau.
8:50am I pass through a crowd of parents and children, sometimes mixing up who I should say Hola to and who I should say hello to! I enter the school thanks to Xavi and hermana Concha who usually let me in and out the school. A mix of bon dia and hello as I walk around the school.
9:00am Now it’s time to start the school day. Since it’s not a Tuesday I don’t have a coordination hour with Edu and Veronica so I walk towards ESO. I get to the class and take a group of children from the class and we head to the reinforcement classrooms. What activity should we do today? Now I have been here for four months I can mix up activities, create my own, all depending on the group I am working with.
10:00am Next lesson. ESO. I just need to go to the floor below to collect the children from class. Since it is not a special holiday and there are no reasons for me to stay in the classroom, so I take a group of children and we do speaking activities suitable for their level.
11:00am Break time! Or breakfast number 2? haha A little bit different from England this is a sandwich or baguette and a drink. Until 12:00pm I don’t have lessons, so I can sit in the staffroom and go on my phone to use Whatsapp, do some work or relax and talk to some of the teachers around.
12:00pm Next lesson! But this time a little bit different. I have to cross over to the primary. I can cut across through a classroom upstairs. Sometimes I stay in the classroom to do different activities with the children and sometimes I take them out the classroom. In any primary classroom I can always expect a high five, a hug or to hear ‘mira, que alto!’ haha.
13:00pm Lunch time! I head downstairs where I wait for Pau’s class to come down. I high five him and we head off home for lunch.
13:03pm we arrive home, we took a bit longer than usual to arrive back. The few minutes before eating are reserved for playing games or doing work.
13:20pm Lunch is ready! Yes! Today is my favourite, lentils with chorizo. We sit down for lunch put on the television and talk about how our days are going. Finished! But I can’t forget to eat some fruit.
15:00 And we are back in school for the last part of the day. Today I have P on my timetable which means its ‘preparation hour’ so I spend time preparing work. I already have all the material I need thanks to the teachers so I can sit in the staffroom and get on with my work.
16:00 Last lesson of the day. Sometimes it can be tiring to have an hour or two more than you are used to in a school day. But it is also the lesson that leaves you with a nice feeling.
17:00 Home time! I meet Pau in the usual spot and we head home. After school time is spent doing different things depending on the day.
By júlia verdaguer, on març 19th, 2013 It is their first year in the Programa Auxiliars de Conversa, but in Col·legi Santa Anna they sure know how to make the most of this program! Their conversation assistant, Sean, takes small groups of Primary and ESO students to help them improve their English and encourage them to speak. Here are his thoughts on the Program: thanks for writing, Sean!
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Since my first day at Santa Anna, I have had an amazing time with both the students and the teachers in and outside of my classes. I have no doubt that this will continue until the end of the course in June, because everyone is so easy to get along with and most of the students are lots of fun to work with. My lessons consist of taking small groups of students out of classes from both primaria and ESO and improving their spoken English level, through exam practices, role plays and themed conversations, alongside other fun activities. I was so surprised by the level of English in the school, it is significantly better than I had originally presumed. I found that no matter what the student’s level of oral English, they will always try and have a conversation with me or ask questions, it is incredible to see such a large interest in a language.
 Working with a small group of students As well as taking the students for oral practice in my lessons, I have also been included in other activities. These include the school play, where I played a grandfather who tells the story of ‘Els Pastorets’, a traditional Catalan Christmas story, and most recently, playing the bass with some students in a music group for Peace Day (El Dia de Paz) and Open Doors Day (Puertas Abiertas). Being included in these events with the students has let me get to know the students better and helped to create a strong bond between us, which in turn encouraged them to participate more in class.
 Sean took part in ‘Els Pastorets’! I strongly recommend for any CAPS, new or current, to include themselves with as many activities with the students as possible as it is a very enjoyable and entertaining experience!
 Sean played the bass with a group of students for Peace Day While I will be staying in Catalunya I will be staying with a total of 3 families. The families I have already lived with have already been extremely welcoming and have treated me like another child in their home, and most weekends have been filled with enjoyable activities. Such activities include visiting Barcelona or going climbing in the mountains, and if we haven’t got any plans for the weekend I am never bored because the families always try and include me in their plans, or I go out and visit my friends I made from the CAPS program, who live in the same city as me. There’s never a dull moment in Catalunya!
In conclusion, if you haven’t applied for this course already, then you should straight away because it is an incredible experience and one not to be missed!
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